All societies develop their own norms about what is fair behaviour and what is not. Violations of these norms, including acts of corruption, can collectively be described as forms of 'grabbing'. This unique volume addresses how grabbing hinders development at the sector level and in state administration. The contributors - researchers and practitioners who work on the ground in developing countries - present empirical data on the mechanisms at play and describe different types of unethical practices. The book's sixteen case studies explore why certain practices constitute forms of grabbing, what implications they have for the achievement of development goals, and how policy options should take the characteristics of grabbing into account. A broad range of sectors are covered, including extractive industries, construction, ports, utilities, finance, health, pharmaceuticals and education. The authors discuss checks and balances in politics, democratic elections, the law enforcement system, government's role in the allocation of land as well as its role as a development partner in other countries. The volume's original approach makes it a valuable resource for researchers and students interested in development, economics, governance and corruption. Development aid practitioners, as well as politicians and public officials in developing countries, will find it a useful aid in their work.
Contents: Introduction Tina Soreide and Aled Williams PART I: GRABBING EXPLAINED BY CHARACTERISTICS OF A SECTOR OR STATE FUNCTION 1. Corruption and Collusion in Construction: A View from the Industry Jill Wells 2. Rents Extraction in the Sub-Saharan Africa Port Sector Gael Raballand and Jean Francois Marteau 3. Resource Grabs Philippe Le Billon 4. Grabbing in the Education Sector Muriel Poisson 5. Courts, Corruption and Judicial Independence Siri Gloppen PART II: GRABBING AT THE LEVEL OF SECTOR AND STATE FUNCTIONS IN A COUNTRY CONTEXT 6. Grabbing by Strangers: Crime and Policing in Kenya Jens Andvig and Tiberius Barasa 7. Grabbing Land in Malawi Blessings Chinsinga and Liam Wren-Lewis 8. Using Salaries as a Deterrent to Informal Payments in the Health Sector Ida Lindkvist 9. Financial Blood-letting in the Colombian Health System: Analysis of the Systemic Rent-seeking in the Use of a Health Insurance Fund Karen Hussman and Juan Carlos Rivillas PART III: WHEN POLITICAL GRABBING PREVENTS THE PERFORMANCE OF A SECTOR OR STATE FUNCTION 10. Transport Infrastructure Failures in Spain: Mismanagement and Incompetence, or Political Capture? Germa Bel, Antonio Estache and Renaud Foucart 11. 'Pay Up and Off You Go!' Buying Political Positions in Bangladesh Inge Amundsen 12. Monopolizing Reconstruction: Angolan Elites and Chinese Credit Lines Lucy Corkin 13. 'Grabbing' an Election: Abuse of State Resources in the 2011 Elections in Uganda Svein-Erik Helle and Lise Rakner PART IV: RISK OF GRABBING DUE TO INTERACTION WITH INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS 14. Elite Capture of Kabul Bank Arne Strand 15. Don't Rock the Boat: Why it is Difficult for Norway to Deal with Corruption in Development Aid Programmes Eirik Gjostein Jansen 16. When Per Diems Take Over: Training and Travel as Extra Pay Ingvild Aagedal Skage, Tina Soreide and Arne Tostensen.